Who Wore It Best: Number 41

Good morning sports fans. Today we have a good mixed number, some goalies, some roleplayers, a few slick defensemen, something for everyone.

Jocelyn Thibault

Thibault was drafted 10th overall by the Nords in 1993 and immediately turned pro. He and Stephane Fiset went back and forth as the starter/backup in Quebec and eventually early in the Avs history. Until Patrick Roy came to town. Fiset stuck around and Thibault left for the Habs. He went 3-4-2 in his brief Avalanche career with an .874 Sv%.

Martin Skoula

The number 41 lay fallow for five years until defenseman Martin Skoula chose it after a couple of seasons in the 55. He had been selected by Colorado with the 17th overall in 1997 and turned pro after a few seasons with the Barrie Colts. He was part of the 2001 Cup team and ended up with 27 goals and 113 points in 5 years before moving on to the Ducks, Wilds and the KHL.

Mike Vernace

The Avs traded a 6th for Vernace right before the 2006 draft. He was coming off a 72 point season for the Brampton Battalion and set to turn pro. He ended up playing 12 games for the Avs in 08-09, no points but they must have liked him since he played almost 20 minutes per game. He moved on to Atlanta as a free agent that summer.

Craig Anderson

Andy signed with the Avs in 2009 as a journeyman 28-year old and along with rookies Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly took them from the basement to the playoffs. He ended up an All-Star, 4th place in the Vezina and got votes for the Hart Trophy along with getting Joe Sacco the Jack Adams award. The Avs management was unimpressed somehow and wouldn’t offer him a long-term extension, setting the club back years in the process. He went on to Ottawa where he’s been a solid starter for the last 7+ seasons. Nice job guys. Final tally in burgundy & blue: 102 starts, 51-40-10 with a .911 Sv% in the regular season and 2-4 in the playoffs with a .933 Sv%.

Tyson Barrie

Before donning the familiar #4, Tyson Barrie wore the 41 for a couple seasons until Johnny Liles was moved to the Leafs.

Andrew Bodnarchuk

Chucky was claimed on waivers by the Avs from Columbus of all places on 1/5/16. He played 21 games for the Avs that year and had a couple of assists before moving on to the Stars org.

(Nicolas Meloche)

Nic has yet to play in a regular season game for the Avs but I expect that to change this year. He has worn the 41 in pre-season games and that’s good enough for me.

Some good choices here for a change, even if you take out Barrie since he’s not really a #41. What say you, dear reader? Who wore #41 best?